Helping poor families in humid tropical regions.
TROPICS
Humidtropics, a major new research-for-development program, has been launched with the aim of increasing average farm income by 50 per cent, with 25 per cent of poor households lifted above the poverty line in the humid tropics in the next 15 years. Research leading to production system intensification will boost yields of staple crops and help to reduce the number of malnourished children by 30 per cent. “Humidtropics helps farm families to make better decisions about making their living and living their lives while caring for the environment they cultivate,” says Ylva Hillbur, deputy director of general research with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the lead centre for the program.
Humid tropical regions are critical to global food supplies and meeting world food demand, central to the maintenance of global biodiversity, and vital to the mitigation of greenhouse gases. “Humidtropics provides the opportunity to assess the role of potato and sweet-potato for the sustainable intensification of production systems where these crops are a key component of farmer livelihood strategies,” says Hillbur.
The 15-year innovative Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research program will help poor farm families to boost their agricultural productivity while conserving the land for future generations. The program will also serve as a model to other agencies seeking to link agricultural systems research to developmental impact. The initial program participants include the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, International Livestock Research Institute, World Agroforestry Centre, International Potato Center, Bioversity International, International Water Management Institute, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, The World Vegetable Center and Wageningen University.
Source: IITA, CIP, humidtropics.org
DEVLOPING WORLD
According to a news report, climate change could lead to crops from the banana family becoming a critical food source for millions of people. Researchers from the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security say the fruit might replace potatoes in some developing countries. Responding to a request from the United Nations’ Committee on World Food Security, a group of experts in the field looked at the projected effects of climate change on 22 of the world’s most important agricultural commodities. They predict that yields of the world’s three biggest crops in terms of calories provided―maize, rice and wheat―will decrease in many developing countries. They suggest that the potato, which grows best in cooler climates, could also suffer as temperatures increase and weather becomes more volatile.
The CCAFS policy brief, entitled Recalibrating Food Production in the Developing World: Global Warming Will Change More Than Just the Climate, sheds new light on the intertwining evolutions of climate change and the world’s food system. By 2050, climate change due to higher temperatures and unpredictable rainfall could impact more than crop yields, according to the study. These changes also alter the underlying ecosystems that support agriculture. Freshwater resources, already strained in several regions across the globe, will become even less reliable as rain becomes less predictable.
“Ecosystem changes due to climate change may spawn shifts in the intensity of pests and diseases, including potato blight and beetles that will further limit food production. Indeed, even if crops could withstand increased temperatures and decreased rainfall, their yields could drop because of the scourges,” says Philip Thornton, a theme leader at CCFAS.
As farmers and food producers adapt and recalibrate their responses to climate change and its many challenges, the culture of food and what is eaten will need to adjust or change completely as different crops are raised to compensate for new growing conditions. “The good news is that if farmers and food producers start to adapt now, they can stave off some of the dour food production and distribution scenarios laid out in this research,” explains Thornton. “But they can’t face these complex, interrelated problems, which vary from crop to crop and region to region, alone. They need support from the highest levels.”
Source: CCAFS Communications, CGIAR
PERU
For its fourth edition, CIP’s Catalogue of Potato Varieties and Advanced Clones has been released and now lists 399 clones and 70 varieties developed by the institution. The catalogue is available in English, Spanish, Chinese and, for the first time, French—while versions in Dutch, German, Portuguese and Russian are planned for the fifth edition.
The 2013 catalogue also provides more information on advanced clones, pollen viability and flesh colour. The hard copy comes with two leaflets: Breeders’ Choice, which details heat-tolerant clones, and Rainbow Choice, which lists novel clones with red- to dark purple-coloured flesh. The clones are made available for worldwide distribution to potato research programs and other interested parties, including national programs, universities, producer associations and farmer communities, either for the direct selection of candidate varieties or for use as parental material.
Source: CIP
UNITED KINGDOM
Researchers are looking to reduce dietary levels of the carcinogen acrylamide by developing a new variety of potato. Acrylamide is formed during high-temperature cooking. The chemical has been linked to an elevated risk of cancer, so regulators are keen to limit the amount present in wheat, rye and potato products. One approach is to develop potato varieties that are low in acrylamide precursors―in other words, the amino acid asparagine and reducing sugars. This is the goal of a large project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; however, in potatoes, the link between the precursors and acrylamide levels are far from simple.
As part of efforts to indentify the characteristics required by a low acrylamide-forming potato, researchers investigated the formation of the chemical in nine different potato varieties which are all used for processing. The team, led by Nigel Halford from Rothamsted Research, U.K., measured the levels of acrylamide precursors in each variety, along with the amount of acrylamide formed during frying. The precursor-acrylamide relationship was found to be variety-dependent, making it very difficult to identify specific targets for breeding programs. “We are also looking at the effects of different growing conditions and trying to understand the genetics and biochemistry of precursor metabolism,” says Halford. “Our aim is to come up with the tools to produce low acrylamide varieties for 10–15 years in the future when there may be stricter regulatory limits.”
Source: Chemistry World, ResearchGate, PubMed.gov
UNITED STATES
The National Potato Council in the United States has sent reports to the Office of the United States Trade Representative on the barriers faced by exporters of U.S. potatoes in 2012. The NCP’s reports included sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) barriers and foreign standards-related barriers. These, along with a third report on tariff and quota-based barriers submitted in October, are collectively known as the National Trade Estimate Report. SPS barriers include issues related to plant health, such as nematodes and zebra chip disease.
Standards-related measures include interpretation and implementation of various foreign regulations as they pertain to United States potato exports. As noted in the reports, exports, which now account for 16 per cent of U.S. potato production, were valued at US$1.6 billion from July 2011 to June 2012. Ongoing efforts to resolve the market barriers outlined in the reports could potentially double the current level of U.S. potato exports.
Source: United States National Potato Council, HZPC Americas
CAMEROON
The United States Department of Agriculture has purchased 240 metric tonnes of dehydrated potato granules and 320 metric tonnes of dehydrated potato flakes under the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.
The McGovern-Dole program is a global school feeding program promoting education, child development, and food security for some of the world’s poorest children. The potato granules purchased under this program will be utilized in Cameroon by the private voluntary organization Counterpart International as part of a three-year school feeding project. The project will ultimately use 1,986 metric tonnes of dehydrated potatoes and will promote the growing of fresh potatoes by Cameroon’s citizens to develop a more sustainable food source. Prior to the purchase, only U.S. dehydrated potato flakes had been approved and purchased for food assistance programs. The inclusion of fortified potato granules marks an achievement for the USPB, which promotes the suitability of dehydrated potato products as a base for fortification.
This is the first time U.S. dehydrated potato granules have been purchased for a U.S. international food assistance program. “The significance of this purchase is the long-term potential for the potato industry,” said Ritchey Toevs, co-chair of the United States Potato Board’s international marketing committee. “By developing demand and opportunities in international food assistance programming, we are creating a new outlet for U.S. potato growers that did not previously exist.”
Source: USPB
